It was already several weeks ago now. It was early evening and I was walking over the fields to the sea with my parents. This short walk was becoming one of our lockdown routines; a little stretch of the legs after tea and before bed.
The spring weather was beautiful, as it had been for some time. The sun was sinking lower and the sky was an exquisite shade of blue. My mum looked up into that blue sky and said, “It’s as if they’d been troubling me all this time but I didn’t know it.”
She was referring to the vapour trails of the aeroplanes which ordinarily criss-crossed this patch of sky, as they criss-crossed each patch of sky that we all look up to from our little corners of the Earth.
I felt the truth of her observation run through me. Yes, we are all troubled and we do not even realise it. We are anxious and addicted and miserable but we have strayed so far from the simple joys and sacredness of life that we do not know that this is what we are missing or what we must return to.
Instead, we journey deeper into the problem. We look for comfort and soothing in the material world. We buy more, eat more, spend more time on our devices, distract ourselves with every possible form of entertainment, attempt to achieve more, earn more, get bigger and better.
On the news the politicians are talking about how we can get back to normal as quickly as possible. My estate agent who is marketing my apartment said that they’ll be back in touch when things return to normal.
And I am over here, like so many of you, hoping we never return to normal in the way that we’ve known it. Because normal is troubled. Normal is anxious. Normal is depressed. Normal is miserable. Normal is working in the machine. Normal is endless economic growth at the expense of people and planet. Normal is corrupt corporations. Normal is telling lies to win power. Normal is sitting in an office day in and day out and returning home too exhausted to enjoy one’s family and friends. Normal is competition and survival of the fittest.
Our version of ‘normal’ is a complete forgetting of the sacredness of life and whether we try our hardest to return to it or not, it cannot go on. The Earth is speaking clearly. She’s saying, ‘This is enough now. Everything must change.’
But of course we are terrified of that change. Even those of us who want it are terrified. Of course we are. And not only that, we don’t even know how to begin, so embedded we are in our lives of consumerism and growth.
If you are reading this, I know that it is very likely that you already feel something very similar and I am only speaking what is already in your heart. So what can we do? What can we each do?
I continue to believe that we all have a unique way of holding the light and expressing the Love that we are. We must continue to listen to our own hearts, to grow the trust we have in what our hearts speak to us and to have the courage to express ourselves in the ways that we are uniquely called.
If we begin with the Love in our hearts and ground ourselves in the sacredness of all of life, we will move in the direction that can best support the change we are all longing for.
Love and courage,
Leah
Music to my ears. Wonderful to hear these words Leah. We are not alone in our desire/ seeing need for change. How to make this change? Your last two paragraphs show us the way. Love in action.
Thank you for reading and leaving a comment Christine. "Love in action" is exactly the phrase I have running through my mind!
Just popping in to say thank you so much for sharing, and continuing to write during these different times. I loved what your mum said, and how you expanded on it. I, too, am dreading the day we go back to "normal". I find some comfort in knowing no matter how much some of the higher ups may want a normal, it will never truly be exactly as it was. But I feel the sense of peace from the break in the fast-paced world we have been living in. I feel more connected to nature and the earth than I have in ages, and it is a wonderful feeling. I feel more able to be on my own schedule, which in turn syncs up with the natural rhythm of the world around me. I love the phrase "love in action" and hope to be able to hold on to that thought, and feeling, as each new day arises.
I cannot tell you how many people I have spoken to are feeling some version of this dread about returning to "normal", which I think is an important message. Yes to the peace from the break from the fast-paced world and feeling more connected to nature and the earth. The virus is a tragedy in so many ways and yet it is also a gift of an opportunity to really look at the world and society we have created and ask if this is what we want to return to. It is so good to hear from you Jessica and thank you so much for taking the time to share your comment – it’s so valuable to share experiences.
This is such a great article.
You articulated so many issues.
Transition is happening and the mystery of life keeps the future unknown.
Focus on the present and going within for guidance is helping.
I am currently taking action to resolve 20 year old monetary issues.
I find the tears flowing even when I meditate as this energy of the past is released.
A Vedic astrologer says that the light will return by February and continue to increase each year after that.
I hope we experience this light as an everyday phenomenon.
Thank you Linda (and thank you so much for persevering in leaving a comment!). Yes to focusing on the present and going within for guidance, I feel the same. And I honour and respect your journey of resolving these issues from the past. There is so much beauty and freedom in the tears that flow from meditation. Sending lots of love.
I agree entirely with all Leah said,but we do have to be entirely honest with ourselves as to what we really want,what we’re really after. Not just with this current crisis,but with everything else. That includes the apparent spiritual seeking too.
If someone could grant one wish,with only 30 seconds to choose it,i’m willing to bet most people would cite a practical problem or concern.
I know i would. There may be a great desire for truth,of course,but if there’s something in your exterior world that causes you continuous pain or frustration then it’s very difficult to believe the problem lies with oneself.
As long as you can imagine some kind of change out there,that you think would improve your circumstances or state of mind,then that is truly where your heart is.
You may be wrong or right,but in my experience it’s impossible to fully apply yourself to any quest for self-liberation if you believe something in the physical world needs to change first.
Spiritual bypassing i believe they call it.
Could be a job,where you live,a relationship(or lack of one),or never-ending financial concerns. Or matters of health.
What you believe is more important than what is true,that can be a hard pill to swallow.
But if you’re lucky,very very lucky,you might just fall apart.
That’s not something you could ever really wish for.
Thank you so much for sharing Geoff.
I want to amend my comment to say that the astrology predicts the return of the light in February for the world in general.
We are not limited from experiencing light now.
I have learned that the forms in the physical reality are a reflection of beliefs, decisions, energy, actions and intention.
By acknowledging and taking responsibility for this, I am making changes to see the improvements that I want.
Inspirations and insights are available now.
I am heeding the inner guidance about what I can do to create preferred circumstances.
I heard that 2020 is the year of clear vision about the past and what we want for the future.
Forget about getting back to normal.
Good luck in creating the best.